Sandwich shop closing after 23 years

After two decades as a fixture on the corner, Steak 'n Hoagie will serve its final cheesesteaks, Italian hoagies and gyros Friday.

Matthew Tessnear / mtessnear@shelbystar.com

SHELBY - Doug Strahler's family spent years peering out the expansive windows of the uptown sandwich stop.

They saw familiar faces strolling to the door of The Steak 'n Hoagie Shop.

"We knew our regular customers, and we would start making their sandwiches before they even came inside," said Strahler, whose father Paul opened the sandwich shop 23 years ago at the corner of Lafayette and Graham streets.

After two decades as a fixture on the corner, Steak 'n Hoagie will serve its final cheesesteaks, Italian hoagies and gyros Friday. The business will close at the end of the day.

"The economy has been tough the past couple years. As a small business, we've been hit hard by that," said Angela Spangler, who worked in the restaurant with Doug and their brother Jason. Spangler remembers standing at the shop counter, learning how to count money, make sandwiches and deliver them.

"It's sad to see it go," she said. "It was a big part of our lives for many years. We've had a lot of great customers and been blessed to be here 23 years."

'We've been here for all of them'

Doug said the Strahler family moved to the county from Ohio, and his father lost his manufacturing job.

"He decided to go into business himself," said Strahler, who was 9 when the sandwich shop opened.

There weren't many options at the time for buying deli-made sandwiches in the Shelby area, so the family opened Steak n' Hoagie.

"Variety and potential interested us at the time," Strahler said. "We were excited about being in uptown."

Strahler said his father worked a full-time job, in addition to running the sandwich shop, to keep his business and family running.

The family all pitched in through the years, with the three Strahler children working at the restaurant through high school and college.

"When we came into town, we were the new kid on the block," he said. " Over time, we've seen a lot of landscape change. We've seen a lot of restaurants come and go. We've been there for all of them. That's a success story."

A favorite dining spot for many

The sandwich shop has been a favorite for many in the area.

Readers were quick to share their feelings this week in response to The Star’s reports of the restaurant’s closing.

Several residents lamented the news on The Star’s Facebook page.

“Where am I going to find a good New Jersey sub now?” a Star Instagram follower asked.

Others reflected on meetings with friends, family and coworkers, or menu items that became favorites over the years.

Reach Matthew Tessnear at 704-669-3331, at mtessnear@shelbystar.com or on Twitter @MatthewTessnear.

Reader response

The Star’s Facebook fans shared their memories and favorites of the Steak 'n Hoagie Shop. See below for a sample of the comments. To join the conversation, visit The Shelby Star page on Facebook and click “like.”

“ I loved their chicken breast sub, but what made it great were the homemade fries that came as a side. A group of us guys used to go there after the comic book shop closed for the day and we would play for a few more hours. We were always welcomed there and it's sad to hear that it's closing.”

-- Adam Wall

“We went there for lunch and to drink a beer the first day restaurants could sell beer in Shelby.”